


SAJU (사주): Four Pillars of Destiny

by uselessh3rt



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Author May Have Wanted To See Everyone In Pretty Hanboks, Drama & Romance, F/M, Goryeo/Joseon AU, Historical Korea AU, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-17 23:11:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14841008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uselessh3rt/pseuds/uselessh3rt
Summary: Four Pillars of Destiny (사주). An astrological concept that a person's destiny or fate can be divined by one's four birth numbers: the year, the month, the day, and the hour.Rey has only known the rough life of the blacksmith village of Jeokku. Kylo Ren (Ben Seoul-Oh) is the heir of more than one of the noble houses of Goryeo. What is destiny/fate? A message of destruction. A purpose. A chance meeting of two lonely souls.The kingdom of Goryeo will be rocked to its core.





	SAJU (사주): Four Pillars of Destiny

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe this fandom made me take up writing again after 6 long years. The power of Reylo is real lmao. 
> 
> The idea of this story came from a joke between me and my friend when she made a passing comment on Han Seoul-Oh from Fast and Furious. The name stuck in my head and an idea started developing. I was extremely...hesitant on writing the story, but at the same time there were also numerous personal reasons for me to try it out. 
> 
> Like any historical AUs, I took a lot of creative freedom though I did my best to research information (those I will post at the end of the story for those who are interested). Keep in mind, however, that at the end of the day, this story is about Rey and Kylo/Ben. 
> 
> Thank you to my lovely beta readers @starduststories and @gravehounds!

CHAPTER ONE

_Chungcheong-do Province_

Rey had been called stubborn more than a few times in her lifetime. Unkar Park had called her it when she had dragged her first measly 2 kilograms of mineral haul from the mines to his forgery. Scared, hungry, and just abandoned, the six-year old Rey learned only a few hours prior that there was little time to dwell on her newfound grief. In the tough blacksmith village of Jeokku, she could either die in the dusty roads or learn and survive. And Rey had known even then that she wanted to _survive_. She had observed the older children. She followed them down a well-worn path to the hematite mines; saw how they picked up shovels and sticks - whatever they could get their hands on - to dig deeply into the earth to gather the precious red stones. She quickly mimicked their motions and had cried when her hands struck the sharp edge of the stone and bled; but she had done it. The sun had long set by the time she had gathered enough ore for a riceball. One measly riceball mixed with barley that had no seasoning. But Rey had scarfed it down until she was licking her fingers for the few rice grains that remained stuck to them.

She was called it again when some young boys cornered her in the mines. To the twelve-year olds, an eight-year old girl was easy prey for both entertainment and an extra haul. Rey had desperately tried to fend off her bag full of what was about 4.5 kilograms of the hematite, but the boys had no qualms in beating her with their ‘request’. A bruised and bloody Rey had barely managed to make it to her small hovel at the end of the ordeal, shivering and stomach growling. She had cried herself to sleep that night. But she learned again.

Before daybreak, she snuck into one of the metalsmith's hut to grab a metal rod just cooled from its quenching. She had waited for the boys on the path to the mines. It didn’t take long for them to appear and even less time for her to launch herself at them, screaming herself hoarse as she made them bruised and bloody. The few others who had also gathered early that morning did nothing to break up their fight, but simply walked past the fighting children; some had even nodded approvingly as they did. The boys had soon fled, nursing their injuries, calling her a stubborn rat.

After the ordeal, Rey had tried to return the rod back to the metalsmith, more for practical reasons then actual guilt. However, the metalsmith’s wife had heard the whispers of the fight and she simply shook her head. _Keep it_ , she had said. _You’re going to need it to survive_. The metalsmith had pretended to not hear their exchange as he continued to hammer a spear.

Soon after and true to the metalsmith's wife, the boys and others soon grabbed their own metal rods. She had met the boys in a scuffle of metal numerous times. By the fifth encounter, she had learned the name of the leader of the boys: Tee-Do. Rey was proud to say that she showed Tee-Do and his gang the taste of blood in more than half of their encounters. She would be too embarrassed to admit it, but sometimes she would pretend their rod-fights were the sword-fights she had heard about from the village elders’ stories or occasional visiting monks. There were few fantasies that were allowed to flourish in Jeokku, but this one allowed Rey to be strong.

The most persistent voice, however, was her own in the back corner of her mind. When Rey would kneel in front of the dirt wall of her small hut, staring at the hundreds of scratches she had made in the course of a couple of years. Her hand would lightly touch each line, almost reverently as a mantra played in her head: _They’ll come back. You just need to wait. You’ll see_. Those hundreds of scratches became thousands. Yet, Rey continued to hold on; she had to. The small voice became a whisper. An echo. And finally something buried within her heart. Because if anything, Rey _was_ stubborn. And like that, thirteen years of living in Jeokku bled away.

* * *

Rey blinked back the sweat from her eyes as she braced her legs to weigh her bag with both arms. It didn’t take long to calculate an estimate: only 14 kilograms. She straightened from her position, frowning as she realized that it was a whole seven less than what she had wanted. The bag was still in her hands as she gazed around the little pocketed cave she had found only about 2 months ago. It was already nearly empty which meant that she would have to find another one soon. Unkar’s demands had become more daunting in the past year; the exchange rate had more than doubled to 7 kilograms for one riceball. The increase in exchange had driven the miners to a frenzy as they all tried to meet the demands. It was a troubling change to say the least. It already took all her skills to find a well-stocked cave and to ensure that no one else took her haul. Competition was fierce, and if Rey had learned anything in her several years in Jeokku, it was that when people became desperate they would do anything to survive.

Sighing, Rey placed the bag down as she bent down to reach for the metal rod lying next to her. She fastened it to the sash of her hanbok with practiced ease and then hefted the bag again onto her right shoulder. She picked up the rope that was tied to her waist and gave it an experimental tug to make sure it was still tied to her navigational pole at the entrance of the cave. Seeing that it was, Rey let the rope guide her back to the front entrance.

At the cave’s opening, Rey carefully glanced left and right to make sure that no one was there and stepped outside. She had to blink a few times to adjust her eyes from the darkness of being underground, but thankfully the sun was just setting. Rey sighed as she took in the sky’s rich amber marbled with pink and purple hues. The day was already almost done. She made her way to the main path that led back to the village, still feeling slightly off-put by her meager earnings of the day.

Jeokku had hardly changed since she was first abandoned on it. Rey’s eyes watered slightly at the dust and ash that always seemed to hang in the air. The fires of the nearby blacksmiths meant that the village was always hot, and the clang of their hammers and hisses of metal being quenched meant that it was always loud as well. Unkar’s forgery wasn’t hard to find. It stood near the edge of the village, and it was probably the busiest of the village as all of the miners worked under the man. There was a long line of people as they waited to pick up their ration of the day. Rey made her way over and stood at the end of the line. In front of her, there was a couple that held a shared bag. It was rare to find couples in Jeokku so they immediately caught Rey’ attention. They had their backs to her, but they were whispering loudly enough for her to catch bits of their conversation.

“...worried because Jun was saying the same thing,” the man was saying.

The woman shook her head so the first part of her sentence was muted, but Rey managed to catch the latter part. “...the fifth one I heard. The way this is going we might have to find another place.”

Before Rey could stop herself, she blurted to the couple, “What do you mean find another place?”

The couple stiffened in surprise before quickly turning to her. The woman’s eyes were narrowed in suspicion at her, but she replied, “Exactly what I said. It seems like Jeokku has nearly run dry of the hematite stones. If this continues, we may all need to find a new place if we want to live. The blacksmiths may be ok, but us miners are going to have to find work elsewhere.”

Rey felt herself stiffen at the woman’s words, ones that echoed her own fears just minutes prior. Unlike the other miners here, she could not freely leave this village. Taking her silence as an answer, the couple turned back around and started to whisper again albeit more softly. This didn’t bother Rey as she continued to ponder over the new information.

Soon enough, the line had shortened and Rey was the next one to be called where Unkar was waiting in front of his booth. He was currently bargaining with the couple. From her angle, the bald man’s broad face was visible; his beady eyes glinted as he sneered at the man in front of him. From the man’s rigid back and animated hands, Rey could tell that Unkar wasn’t in a particularly giving mood today. Not that he usually was but there were times that the man could be particularly cruel. It didn’t take a few minutes before she heard herself being called next.

The couple quickly left - three riceballs in hand Rey noticed - as Unkar waited for her. His sneer had not disappeared and actually seemed to grow when he saw her. Rey’s confidence slightly wavered, knowing full well that her findings today were scarce, but she’d be damned to let the man take advantage of it. She stiffly bowed a greeting and schooled her face into the familiar hard expression she used when bargaining with the man. She stepped toward him and set her haul on his table.

Unkar took his time opening her bag measuring each ore by hand. After what seemed like hours, the man finally spoke, “11 kilograms. One riceball.”

“Weigh it again,” Rey retorted.

Unkar slammed his hands on the table as he leaned toward her. It took all of Rey’s willpower to not flinch back from his breath and yellowed teeth. “You get what I say you get, girl. And I say 11 kilograms and one riceball.”

Rey glared but her voice was steady. “Weigh it again.”

Unkar’s eyes narrowed at her. “I won’t say it again, girl. 11 kilograms...one riceball.”

This time it was Rey who slammed her hands down on the table. It took two to play a game. “I’m not a fool, Unkar. I heard what’s happening in Jeokku. I know there is talk that your miners are planning on leaving this place. I’m one of the few you’re going to have left, and if you want your precious ore, you can’t afford for me to go hungry. Weigh. It. Again.”

Unkar leaned back in his stool. His stare was cool as he regarded her but Rey could see that he was mulling over what she said. He made no motion to weigh her bag again, but after a few minutes he replied, “One and a half of a riceball. That’s my final offer, rat.”

Rey could see that he was not going to budge in his decision. She gritted her teeth. “Fine.”

Unkar reached for the woven baskets behind him and took out one riceball and broke another in half before giving it to her. Rey took her ration silently though she was seething inwardly at the loss. Unkar made a final comment just as she stepped away from the table. “Regarding your little threat earlier, girl, I know you’re never going to leave here.” Rey didn’t bother to turn around, knowing that it would spur the man’s goading further. However, she felt his sneer at her back as she walked away. “You’ll stay in this miserable village forever,” his voice echoed as she left him behind.

Sitting on the straw floor of her shelter, in the low light of a candle, Rey quickly devoured the riceballs and licked her fingers of the residual stickiness. Her stomach growled, but she tried to ignore it by taking a swig of the water jug next to her. She wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her hanbok and sighed.

Her eyes wandered to the marked wall next to the rumpled blankets which made up her sleeping space. She crawled her way over and reached to take up the stick that lay at the bottom of the wall. In a kneeling position, Rey etched another scratch to the one she had made the night before with a practiced motion: the 4758th scratch.

She dropped the stick, and reached out with her right hand to touch the carving she had just etched, lightly tracing the linear design with her finger. Rey closed her eyes and sat still in the position for a few minutes. Despite her hut being near the outskirts of the city, she could still hear the muted hammer rings of the blacksmiths working hard into the night. Rey’s eyes slowly opened. The candlelight in the center of the space she called home wavered slightly making the shadows around her stir. She turned her head slightly to her left to gaze out the only window of her hut. The evening stars had just begun to show themselves.

Rey’s hand slowly dropped from the wall and she allowed herself to fall onto her side into the blankets below her. She rolled over until she was staring up at the ceiling of her hut. She then reached under the other pile of blanket that made her pillow to bring out a lock and a thin pick . The lock’s metal surface gleamed with a golden sheen against the candlelight. This was a new hobby she had found for herself. Rey didn’t remember how it started, but the activity helped to pass the time and divert her thoughts.

Rey gently placed the pick into the key’s opening, fiddling with the mechanisms as she tried to open it. She had taken this particular lock from the village’s locksmith only 2 days ago. It was shaped like a fish, a design that had become recently popular with the noble class according to the conversation she had overheard from the locksmith. Rey’s hand paused at the thought of the locksmith. She felt a small stir of guilt, knowing that the man didn’t know that she sometimes took his locks for her new pleasure. But, Rey reminded herself, she always made sure to return it after she learned to open it. Rey shook her head and returned her focus back onto the task at hand.

This lock was a particular challenge. It seemed that a simple jab of pressure wasn’t sufficient. Rey paused again as she held the lock to her eyes, turning it around in her hand. Maybe…? Taking a chance, she inserted her pick and the U-slot of the key and turned her makeshift key. Her chest beat quickly as she waited with bated breath. Finally, there was click and the fish’s jaw opened. Rey let out a soft exclaim of delight. She set the lock down and her pick on the floor, a feeling of satisfaction bubbling in her chest from the success.

However, the excitement and its adrenaline abated and weariness from the day’s work soon took over. Rey’s eyes started to droop. She would have to wake up early again tomorrow to begin another day of work. A yawn escaped her lips. She sat up to blow her candle, and quickly laid back down. Her eyes blinked slowly in the darkness before closing. Without the lock taking up her thoughts, her mind unbidden went back to Unkar’s words from that evening. _You’ll never leave_. Rey’s eyebrows furrowed as her eyes remained closed. She found herself mentally counting the scratches on her wall again. Despite her weariness, it took a long time for the girl to finally fall asleep.

4758 days.

* * *

_Songdo_

56 days. A little over a month. That was how long it took for Kylo to be called back from the northern borders back to the capital city. A flare of impatience welled in Kylo’s chest as he and a couple of guards passed the landmark that designated 10 more miles to the capital. He gritted his teeth from behind his mask as he leaned forward to nudge his stallion to a full gallop. The animal snorted but obeyed instantly, pulling easily away from the other two soldiers of the group. The men exclaimed in surprise but quickly urged their own horses to follow their leader.

After an hour or so, the gateway to the city became visible. It was only then that Kylo loosened the grip of his reigns slightly, but it was only a small slow down. His horse continued its gallop and the merchants in-line to the entrance who heard the sound of its hooves glanced back with wide eyes before scrambling to make way for him. The guards yelled as they too moved to the side for safety, but Kylo hardly paid attention to the others’ distress. He rushed by them with his entourage.

Kylo pulled on his reigns to bring his horse to a stop once he entered the main street of the city. He briefly took in the the hustle of the people in the market before nudging his horse again to a measured trot. The people who saw him and his group immediately moved out of the way in a similar fashion to the merchants before. The merchants had moved out of instinct; the people of the capital moved out of an ingrained knowledge of who he was. Though their heads were bowed, Kylo didn’t miss their passing glances with each other at his dark robes and metal mask. Nor did he miss their trembling when some caught sight of the sheathed sword at his side.

Kylo and his men ignored the whispers that followed them as they followed the path to their place. It didn’t take long until they stood outside the closed gates of Ha-Yeong manor. The guards in front immediately snapped to a salute with their pikes when they saw Kylo.

One of the men spoke up, “Welcome back, my lord. Minister Snoke has been waiting for your report in his study.”

Kylo gave a curt nod.

* * *

 

“How did the borders fare, my apprentice.”

There were no formal introductions. Kylo sat in a kneeling position with a straight back and face cast down. Snoke’s study was a marvelous two-story room filled with cases of numerous stacked books. Their colored silk covers seemed to gleam despite the sparse sunlight filtered through the paneled windows. Kylo knew from personal experience that many of these books had been costly, being imported from the far Song Empire. A desk sat in the raised center where a tall man in gold embroidered robes sat poring over official documents and reports. Snoke’s head had raised slightly to look at him. The burned flesh of his face did nothing to hide the sharp gaze as he asked the question.

“General Pak and Cho are with us,” Kylo replied with measured tone. His voice came out low pitched from his mask. “They have promised to send men whenever you send them the word.”

At this statement, Snoke placed down the scroll in his hand. He leaned back slowly in his seat to regard his apprentice fully this time. “The asking compensation?”

“Donggyeong. General Pak’s hometown.”

Snoke’s eyes glimmered with cold amusement as he gazed into the distance. “It seems that they’re tired of the north. Very well. They should know that I will be expecting a 15% tax.”

Kylo remained silent as Snoke turned his stare again to him. “Which brings me to another point. Have you found out anything yet about _that_ during your trip?”

Kylo’s jaw clenched knowing that his master would not see it behind his mask. “Unfortunately no, master. The soldiers at the border hadn’t heard any rumors. I checked with the annals located in the border house but they were limited. There were no clues that I could find.”

“ _Useless_ ,” Snoke snarled at the same time he slammed his hands onto the desk. Kylo visibly flinched but kept his position. His master’s rage felt warranted, mimicking his own churning emotions within him. “What use are the generals’ alliance if we cannot find the last Jedi? He is the biggest threat to our plan next to that insufferable Lady Oh-Gyeong.”

Snoke paused. His voice suddenly became soft, almost crooning, “My apprentice. Your other family members are unfortunate to your grandfather’s legacy...but you. Remember, you alone bear his greatness. I need you to work _harder_.”

Kylo bowed this time with his forehead touching the ground. “I will not fail, master.”

“No you will not,” Snoke said his voice still soft. “I have a task for you. Word has reached my ear that some blacksmiths are working outside of my jurisdiction. I need you to go and...take care of the problem. I have also heard...interesting rumors that a family friend of yours often frequents this small village. Perhaps this is the lead that will finally bring Luke So-Min into our hands.”

Kylo gazed up at his master with a single question on his lips, “Where?”

Snoke’s eyes gleamed as he leaned forward. “Jeokku.”

 

\--  

 

END NOTES

I know that this chapter might have been super slow so I apologize!

For those who saw my initial preview about this story, you may have noticed a change I made. Specifically, I changed the setting from the Joseon dynasty to Goryeo. There were several reasons for this, but one of the main ones is that Goryeo was a little bit more liberal culturally-speaking: Buddhism vs. Confucianism. Technically, however, this story will be a mix of (mostly) Goryeo and Joseon as the idea of 'four pillars of destiny' originated from Joseon.

[Map of Goryeo](https://78.media.tumblr.com/59e4993a84c7260291bc75d860d81512/tumblr_inline_o0sd8tI6O71s5yhgo_640.png)  
Note: Songdo is equivalent to modern day Gaesong. Chungcheong-do Province is a little south of Hanyang (Seoul).

[Inspiration for Jeokku](http://cfile235.uf.daum.net/image/16064B494F3E24EC3788CA)

[Hematite ore](http://www.minerals.net/mineral/hematite.aspx)

[Rey's hanbok](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/ca/9f/3b/ca9f3b4a93f8093c120b5c5d63c14801--kdrama-shin-se-kyung.jpg)

[Kylo's hanbok](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1c/26/b2/1c26b2b812982a99bccd2070855e50c9.jpg)

[Kylo's mask](https://i.imgur.com/uwDZmls.jpg)


End file.
